Valkyrie
"Valkyrie", known as "Walküre" (ワルキューレ Warukyūre, the German word for "Valkyrie") in Japan, are an archetype of LIGHT Fairy monsters used by Zigfried von Schroeder in Yu-Gi-Oh!. The concept of the "Valkyrie" cards is derived from the valkyries of Norse mythology. Like most of Zigfried's cards, the "Valkyrie" cards are named after characters from the opera Der Ring des Nibelungen. The effects of the "Valkyrie" cards vary slightly, but usually revolve around Special Summoning "Valkyrie" monsters, removing opposing monsters, and increasing their ATK. In the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX dub, "Valkyrie Dritte" can be seen in T-Bone's hand. Different cards are shown in the original (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX) version. In the Japanese version, the names of the "Valkyrie" monsters, "Erste", "Zweite", and "Dritte" are the German words for "first", "second" and "third". However, in the dub, the second Valkyrie is named "Zwei", which means "two". Strategy The deck sticks foremost to the all-or-nothing tactic of using "Ride of the Valkyries" from the anime. The first three Valkyrie monsters work in tandem to clear the field and enable their attack raising effects. "Brunhilde" is the 'ace' of the monster line-up. Her main role is to punish swarming by increasing her attack to surprisingly heights, depending on deck match-up, as well as giving your "Valkyrie" monsters immunity to battle destruction. Her immunity to your opponents Spell Effects can come in handy against certain troublesome cards and/or whole decks. For starters, her effect makes her immune to annoying Field Spell Cards like "Lair of Darkness", "Lost World" and "Zombie World" (the third one is an issue due to "Drochshúile the Spirit King"). Otherwise, certain "Sky Striker" Spell Cards, which are notorious for their disruption capacities (most notably "Sky Striker Maneuver - Afterburners!" and "Sky Striker Mecha - Widow Anchor") fall flat against her. Even outside of these scenarios, "Brunhilde" can shrug off the likes of "Book of Moon", "Mind Control" and "Raigeki". The oddball would be "Fortune Chariot". While having little use other than as a finisher, it is a good fodder for "Celestial Observatory" and Rank 6 monsters. "Mischief of the Time Goddess" is the objectively most dangerous Spell Card their strategy relies on, as it not only gives you an additional Battle Phase, but it also prevents the negative effect of "Ride". The three goddesses are having a supportive role by preemptively banishing dangerous cards your opponent could have drawn. This also creates an opportunity for you to use cards like "Conscription", "Mind Crush" and "Zeta Reticulant". The first two search the next one, while the third instead protects your "Valkyrie" monsters from being either targeted or destroyed by your opponent's card effects. As a last resort, they can be used to summon "Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder", or a "True Draco" monster such as "Metaltron XII, the True Dracombatant". The deck most obvious flaw of having many high-leveled monsters with relatively low attack can be circumvented by two means: # Utilize Pendulum Summoning to avoid relying on "Ride" too much. "Rain Bozu" in particular has a sufficiently high Pendulum Scale and its effect can help in the Battle department. # Use Ritual Monsters instead of Extra Deck monsters. The "Impcantation" monsters not only help mill the deck faster, but they can be used to Tribute Summon the "Valkyrie" monsters. "Herald of Perfection" and "Saffira, Queen of Dragons" in particular each have a good synergy with them.